1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to infant care and more particularly to accessories for breastfeeding infants.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are a number of infant breastfeeding accessories in the prior art that provide some assistance while breastfeeding. U.S. Pat. No. 6,601,252 to Leach is one such device and provides a double pillowcase assembly and an anchor pad extending outwardly from the pillowcase assembly. This arrangement may provide support for a reclining mother, but does little to support the infant. U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,599 to Maulding provides a breastfeeding breast support roll that is placed underneath the breastfeeding breast allowing a woman to breastfeed an infant in an upright position. The support roll does not provide support for an infant. U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,169 to Marcotte describes an adjustable wrap for a pillow that can be used to support a baby when the mother is nursing the baby on top of the pillow on her lap. Straps attached to the adjustable wrap can be secured around a mother's waist. This design provides some support but the mother must hold the baby on the pillow to keep the baby from falling off. Crowley teaches in U.S. Pat. No. 6,061,854 another adjustable pillow assembly that can be attached to the mother for supporting objects on a wearer's lap. Again this design does provide a vertical support for holding the baby on one's lap, but the baby must be held to prevent the baby from falling off. Powell in U.S. Pat. No. 5,950,887 teaches a baby sling which can be used to support a baby during nursing. The sling is most appropriate when the mother is standing or sitting. Clark in U.S. Pat. No. 5,790,999 describes a U-shaped pillow which is wrapped around a sitting mother and can be used to nurse twins, with each twin attached to opposite breasts with their bodies extending along each side of the U-shaped pillow. Here again although the device vertically supports the babies, they must be held on to prevent them from falling off the pillow. U.S. Pat. No. 5,707,031 to Creighton-Young is an entirely different type of device and is designed to fit over the forearm to assist in nursing the baby. One part of the device can hold a nursing bottle. U.S. Pat. No. 5,522,104 to Little describes a lateral recumbency support pillow for supporting the back of someone lying down. This may help during breastfeeding but does not support the baby. U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,098 to Weber describes an inflatable baby support pillow. This is another form of pillow but has some of the same limitations as other pillows, in that the baby must still be held onto the pillow. U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,351 to Weber describes another baby support pillow.
It is often difficult to arrange and maintain an infant in an orientation that is comfortable and safe for the nursing infant and while at the same time positioning the infant in a location that is comfortable for the mother. It is also difficult to position a baby's mouth to a mother's nipple to ensure a proper latch without a new mother holding her breast to her baby's mouth for long durations of time. It is common knowledge that new mothers are deprived of sleep and very fatigued.
It is also understood that the act of breastfeeding produces hormonal releases of oxytocin and prolactin. Both hormones are described in La Leche League Internationals' The Womanly Art Of Breastfeeding, (an authoritative guide) on page 363, “Both prolactin and oxytocin may help to produce the feeling of relaxation that mothers come to associate with nursing sessions.”
It would be desirable to have a pad that would be useful whether the mother is sitting or lying down. Falling asleep in the side-lying nursing position is a common occurrence. Therefore it would be desirable, to have an infant nursing pad that could be used to support a nursing infant while the infant is lying on either its left or its right side, or while the mother is lying on either her left or right side. It would also be desirable to have an infant nursing pad that can be used on a desk or table top so that the mother can work at the desk or table while nursing the infant. It would also be desirable to have such a nursing pad that included a removable cover to allow the nursing pad to be maintained in a sanitary condition.